FACT SHEET CYKLER UDEN GRÆNSER/RADELN OHNE GRENZEN Forslag udarbejdet af Esbjerg Kommune 16/11-2010
Indhold Sources of information... 2 Environmental- and climate benefits... 3 Health gains... 4 Financial gains for companies/employers... 6 Financial gains for society... 7 Sources of information When quoted or otherwise used in the text, files from the common file management system are referred to by their ID number and relevant page number.
Environmental- and climate benefits 30 minutes of cycling pr. day as a substitute for cars causes a reduction of 276 kg. CO 2 p.a. (1110:3) The car is used for half of all trips under six kilometers. For short trips, the emission is higher pr. kilometer than for long trips. This is due to the fact that the engine is cold and need more fuel to perform. If every third of these short trips were done by bike, the environment would be spared emissions of 6.63 million tons CO 2 p.a. (1110:6) Less car traffic leads to less noise pollution. (1110:5) Transition from cars to bikes on shorter distances is an important contribution to less land use (1110:6-7)
Health gains Employees who cycle regularly to work are less frequently ill, with on average more than one day per year less absenteeism than colleagues who do not cycle to work. (1124:1) Being physically active at least 30 minutes a day substantially decreases the risk of death, improves health and physical performance, and can have a positive effect on the prevention of overweight. (1124:1) Cycling back and forth to work can influence variables, which have health-related gains among people who previously have driven the distance in a car. The health-related gains include a reduced BMI, higher VO 2maks and an increased concentration of HDL cholesterol. Cycling as a means of transportation reduces the risk of mortality with 30 % - when adjusting for variables such as age, sex, and level of education. After further adjustment for smoking, blood pressure, physical activity during leisure time and BMI (body mass index), a reduction of 28 % was observed. Children who are driven to school by car experience considerably more back problems and handle moderate physical challenges worse than do children who ride their bike to school. For every kilometer children and adolescents transport themselves by bike the risk of suffering from back problems are reduced by 50 %. The probability of suffering from back problems is reduced to ¼ when the distance of 1 km back and forth to school is done by bike compared to riding the bus or driven in car.
Many people tend to believe that it is unhealthier to ride a bike than drive in a car or use public transportation in polluted air, because your breathing is faster when actively in motion. But the level of pollution is actually more often considerably higher inside the cars or the busses than where you ride your bike. It has been showed that physical inactivity regardless of body weight is a bigger threat to your health than overweight. Physical inactivity is thus probably as an important factor when it comes to developing cardiovascular diseases as is smoking, increased blood pressure and an increased cholesterol level. The Health Authorities in Denmark have concluded that physical activity of 2.000-2.500 kcal/week is sufficient in achieving a considerable reduction in the risk of morbidity and mortality. It corresponds to about 4 hours of physical activity pr. week or half an hour pr. day. Cycling back and forth to work will normally meet the recommendation of daily physical activity as long as it takes at least ½ hour/day. An everyday cyclist is more likely to engage in physical activity during leisure time and has altogether more physically active leisure time activities while the non-daily cyclists to a greater extent experience having a strenuous job. They also smoke more, drink more coffee and alcohol and eat unhealthier than do everyday cyclists. Walking and cycling as daily transportation has greater potential than leisure time activities for getting people physically active. Half an hour of cycling everyday increases life expectancy by 1-2 years. There is 20 times as many life years to gain by being more physically active as a result of cycling than is lost due to the increased number of accidents with bicyclists involved. Car drivers who change into cycling can thus expect to live longer. Regular cycling corresponding to 4 hours a week gives about the same health effect as other types of physical activity. People who spend 3 hours pr. week commuting by bike experience a substantial decrease in the risk of death compared to people who do not commute by bike. (1118:6)
As summarized above, physical activity has positive impacts on many aspects of morbidity related to conditions including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, musculoskeletal health and aspects of mental health including anxiety and depression, reduction of falls in elderly people and improvements in overall quality of life. (1118:7) Financial gains for companies/employers The more often an employee cycle, and the longer the distance travelled, the lower the rate of absenteeism. If the number of employees cycling regularly to work were to increase by one per cent, this would generate an annual cost saving to employers of around 27 million euros. This calculation is based on a working population of about 7.4 million people and an average absenteeism cost of 280 euros per working day. (1124:2) Employees who cycle regularly to work have less sickness-related absenteeism than non-cyclists. The higher the frequency and longer the distance cycled, the lower the rate of absenteeism. The potential benefit of cycling to work is considerable. It could mean annual savings of around 27 million euros. (Netherlands) (1124:2) Cyclists have up to 50 % less sickness absence. With an average of 11 absence days pr. year pr. worker, people who ride their bike frequently has up to five days less. When employees switch from car to bike, that could potentially mean savings of 1.100 pr. employee every year. (1110:2) A green profile can be supported by company initiatives to promote bike commuting thus improving the image of the company (1110:1)
Financial gains for society It has been calculated that 1.000 km covered by bike pr. year will cause: A saving of 1.445 kr.of the Health Authorities' net costs pr. year. A reduction in loss of production pr. year equivalent of 3.779 kr. 1,40 fewer days of absence pr. year. 1,49 extra life years. 1,13 fewer life years with long lasting and straining disability. 0,00061 fewer premature retirements. Thus one extra km travelled by bike will release health and production related profits of 5,22 kr. in 2005 prices. In this number is only included savings for the Health Authorities' net costs and loss of production due to absence from work and early resignation from the labour market. (1077:3) In Odense, a bike-project was carried through from 1999-2002. The total cost of bike promotion during the project was 20 million Dkr. When the project was evaluated, savings in the health sector of 33 million Dkr. were demonstrated. (1132:1) Per diem allowance for sickness absence was reduced by 115 Dkr. pr. employee between the ages of20-66 during the project period. This corresponds to savings of 41 million Dkr. (1132:1) Physical inacticity increases the costs of the health sector by 2.883 billion Dkr. p.a. in Denmark. Loss of production as a consequence of early retirement, death and sickness absence sums up to 7.540 billion Dkr. p.a. (2005 prices) For each extra kilometer by bike, an average of 5.22 Dkr. is gained by healt effect and increased production. Extern costs of traffic, noise, accidents, air pollution, climate changes and effects on nature and landscapes was estimated as 3% of GDP in EU in 2000. (1116:4)